Minding The Void
by 8cheshirekat
Summary: Pierce/OC, Kevin/Gwen "Would it make sense if I said that I'm not a crazy, loopy, weird, upside-down, sideways, cold, hot, strange, normal, funky ride that makes no sense to anybody except me?" "No." "Good." DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1: New Face?

(Pierce/OC, Kevin/Gwen) When a stranger appears, without warning, and follows a dangerous person, will the truth come out? Or will Grandpa Max and his Plumber trainees hold the secret to the grave? Ben's not going to let this one drop.

---Null Void---

She crouched down, breathing heavy. She couldn't keep this up and it was frustrating! She punched the side of her fist into the rock wall, cutting it slightly. She hissed and looked at it before she sighed. Getting up, she peeked over the rock wall and ducked again.

"I'm sick of this! Get out here, little pipsqueak!"

"Right, temptress." She jumped down, towards another slab of moving stone, leaving her follower there. Her long, black hair and it's streak of red by her left ear made her a clear stand-out from the others that lived in the Null with her.

"Temptress, is it?!"

A flash of pink flared through the air and she ducked down, the end of her unruly black hair singed off. She crawled around and started to focus on her opponent. If she could bend the space, she'd do that without a second thought, but that wasn't her power. She watched the energy build up and watched it eject from her opponent's hand and she was able to mimic the action, causing an explosion.

Jumping down, her gold eyes faded back to brown and she felt the sweat on her face. She had to find a way out of here!

"Come back, little girl! I want you to see something!"

"Why?!" She kept going. No point stopping. That would just cause a huge argument and an even worse headache for her to deal with later. She spotted a small glimmer of gold and knew it was her way out! She dive-bombed off the cliff of her little island and held her hands out before her. She'd seen her follower open a portal like this before. She quickly split it open and saw a road. She ducked and curled, springing out. She felt her body hit the pavement and then felt brush and other sharp things ripping her jeans and dark blue tee.

She finally came to a stop at the bottom of the slope and she looked up. The starts winked back at her and she smiled brightly. She was about to stand up when a bright light distracted her to look back the way she'd come.

Gwen had sensed this coming and the trio were there, fighting down Charmcaster. Somehow, she'd come back from wherever she'd vanished off to. They were losing because it seemed like Charmcaster was mad about something else. Kevin was already out-cold and Ben was trying to stop her with Goop, which wasn't working out so well.

"What're you so mad about?!" Ben asked, his voice echoing with a shivver.

"There's a girl here. She's a thief and a murderer. She convinced me to murder someone for her and she weaseled her way out of it! She's a back-stabbing, no-good--!"

Gwen wrapped her mana around Charmcaster's body, holding her still. "I'm not so sure about that! For now, you'll have to suffice with dealing with us."

Down below, the girl was shocked at what Charmcaster was accusing her of. She took a step back and was almost hit by an RV. She managed to jump aside and the RV managed to skid to a halt. She watched it's lights flicker to highlights as well and she shielded her face. She felt a hand grab her arm and something cover her face. She was blind and bound before being placed on something cold and hard.

It was the floor of the RV and she was driven off. The RV stopped again and she heard a commotion, but someone kicked her a bit too hard and she hit her forehead against a wall and was out like that.


	2. Chapter 2: Bewitched

A dull throbbing hit her first before she realized someone was dabbing something cold on her face.

With a start, she sat up and hit something above her head. Holding her forehead, she felt pain split her forehead. Then she heard someone swearing up a storm and she looked up, her eyes widening with shock. Quickly, she got up and felt a hand on her shoulder.

Turning quickly, she realized a girl with red hair and green eyes was staring back at her.

By reaction, she curled up as much as she could and stayed as far back as she could from the girl with red hair. "Um, hello?"

"Well, at least she's awake. Hi, I'm Ben." The boy she'd hit held out his hand, a smile on his face. His eyes were just as green.

"Erm...."

"BEN!" The red-head hit his arm and he jumped. "You _really_ think it's a good idea to be all friendly to her? She's the one Charmcaster said made her murder someone."

"And we believe Charmcaster rather than her because.... why?"

"Who looks more convincing?"

She felt behind her and unlatched the window as the two bickered. She managed to slink out and stopped.

Pierce and Manny were standing there.

Pierce automatically recognized her and she recognized him. He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

"Pierce, please! I just want to get away from them." She was pressed against the RV now and was about to duck when someone grabbed her attention. Behind them, Charmcaster smiled a very wicked smile. '_So, that's it. You've got control of them._'

"Pierce, what're you doing?!" the red-head said, reaching down and pulling his arm away from the girl. "Who are you, anyways?"

"M-my name is.... is...." She swallowed and sank to the ground. "I'm called August." She was upset. She'd spent so much time and she knew better, but this was too hard.

Pierce made a "hmph" sound and walked away. Manny shrugged. "We're convinced that she's got a hand in this 'murder', that's for sure."

August didn't say anything, she just sat there, curled up, and crying. The red-head jumped down and touched August's shoulder. "My name's Gwen. It's nice to meet you, August."

She didn't look up but gave a notice.

Gwen sighed and held out her hand. "C'mon. I'll help you get some nice cloths and a warm shower. My house is just around the corner from here. It's okay, my parents won't mind you using our house to freshen up."

August just nodded and slowly got to her feet.

---one hour later---

Gwen was helping August brush out her hair. It was nice and clean now. Gwen had agreed to help make August look presentable because August didn't know what a brush was for or why she'd have to wear hair clips.

Her cloths were actually Gwen's. It was a pair of nice jeans and a nicer shirt with a three-fourth's sleeve and was a plain white. Her black hair needed a trim and Gwen had taken care of that. Now, she was being all "fancied up" for some reason. Gwen said that August should be prettied up to look presentable to the rest of the world.

"Well, now that we're all set to face the world, do you still want to go barefoot?" Gwen said, pointing down.

August shook her head. "I'm used to walking barefoot."


	3. Chapter 3: Aliens

Pierce? Hm....

Gwen smiled at the word lingering in the air. She knew just how the poor girl felt. August was a quiet kind of girl, always hiding and always trying to please people. But she seemed no better than the next girl, wanting praise for beauty and notice for achievements. Gwen could also see that August was as vile as Charmcaster when it came to someone she "wanted" over another.

"Pierce, is it?"

August jumped a mile and then smiled meekly at Gwen. "Yeah...." She was tugging on a strand of hair before she started looking for something to say. "How do you deal with it?"

"With what?"

"Your powers and life.... in general."

"Like this." Gwen walked right into the group and started to talk to them.

August just stood there. She tugged her hair again and noticed Pierce. He was standing away from the group and was stabbing spikes into the ground around him, like he was building a fence. She walked up to him and stood just a step away from the wall of spikes. "Hi."

Pierce didn't say anything, he just kept flicking his hand.

"Pierce?"

"What?"

August sighed and sat down. She watched his skin part to reveal another spike, her eyes lingering on the spot as the wound closed. "Does it hurt?"

He seemed taken aback by her question and stopped. "What?"

"Nothing. Never--"

"No, I don't understand your question. Why would you ask me if it hurts? I thought you wanted Charmcaster dead."

August sighed and got up. "Never mind. You're too caught up in your own things to deal with me." She scooted back over to sit on the steps of the RV. She saw Pierce watching her and tried not to say anything else.

Charmcaster, however, took advantage of August's glances. She sauntered up to Pierce and put an arm around his shoulders. "What're you so bummed about?" she asked, quiet and calm, like she had a secret to hide.

Pierce shook her off. "You did something to me."

"What?!"

"What did you do to me?!" Pierce produced a nasty spike right off his forearm, pulling it out. "Why don't I recall August coming out of the Null Void, even though you claim she came out that way?!"

Charmcaster took a step back. "What? I never said--"

"PIERCE!" August threw herself between Pierce and Charmcaster. "No! Don't be violent. Violence won't help me. Look, just do whatever you want. My voice never gets heard. It won't be and she knows it. Just don't hurt anybody."

Pierce blinked and looked directly into August's eyes. She had chocolate eyes, but Pierce was about to hit her with the spike.

August imitated Pierce's power. She swung her arm in a graceful arch and her weapon met his. August saw his eyes widened with shock, but his mouth didn't move and his body moved on it's own, without him. "So, that's it." August used the fact that Pierce was using all his strength and side-stepped. As Pierce went down, she put her hand inches from his head. With one quick incantation, she put him down.

Charmcaster glowered at August. "You see? She doesn't mind causing pain. Now, I wonder why that is?"

"Charmcaster, whatever you did to him, stop it. You know full-well I'm not capable of those things!"

Kevin and Ben had an idea, looking at Gwen.

"Let's settle this like civilized men, okay?" Ben said, his voice uneasily happy. "We'll figure out what happened. We know a way. So, for now, can we all just agree?"

"No! She needs to be punished away!"

There was a flare and they all backed away. It was a Plumber.

He stood tall and strong and looked down at Charmcaster and August. At first, he didn't say anything, but then he spoke loud and clear. "Who was the one who came through the crack in the Null Void?"

Charmcaster automatically pointed at August.

"You...." The Plumber looked shocked at the sight of August. "You're that August Animo girl!"

"Wait, wait, wait, as in Dr. Animo?!" Ben asked, turning August around.

August swallowed and looked away. "Y-yes." August began to grow frustrated.

"Then you'll have to answer for your father's crimes in the Null Void."

August's eyes suddenly became golden rod and she threw her hand up, palm open, to the sky and Charmcaster followed. "I will not! Those are not _my_ crimes! I won't do anything for my father! He did _this_ to me!"

She twisted and Charmcaster's full power shot out of her hands, blowing down a huge, sturdy tree. She raised her hands and foot, like a crane in Kung-Fu. She brought it down and the were huge spikes coming out of the ground, in a straight line for another tree. She slid her feet together and a ripple of pink energy echoed through the air, causing heavy winds. She moved like XLR8 and caused a mini tornado.

"You think I still care about _him_ after he turned me into a mutant experiment?!" She grabbed the Plumber's arm to point at his badge. "You think my mother, a Plumber, wanted her very ordinary child to be so strange?! I was fine! I wasn't special! He wanted a special daughter and, guess what?! He got me! I don't like it any more than you do! You want to make someone suffer?! Make my dead mother suffer! She let this happen to me!" August put her hand out and created a rip to the Null Void. "My voice is never heard. You Plumbers think you're all high and mighty, never mind who you step on along the way." She put one foot in when Gwen grabbed her.

"Stop! Don't blow up just because you think we don't hear you. As freaky and neat that was, I doubt he'll ignore you. I'm a Plumber, too. I listened to you," Gwen said, holding out her badge. "See? I heard you."

August imitated Gwen's power and slapped her hand away, breaking the link. "Sorry, it's a little late for that, red. I'm not allowed to be heard because my dad's not Plumber material. He just wants to throw me away, like everyone else. DVoid is my father as well. Your grandfather--"

"Doesn't care who your father was." Max smiled warmly at her. "I found something that will support your case quiet well, August, my dear."

August gasped and covered her mouth. Apparently, she'd never been welcomed into a family or been called by her name so nicely. She swallowed and bowed. "I'm sorry, but this Plumber doesn't want me here. He thinks I'm going to end up like my father."

"Well, we'll see about that." Max held up his own Plumber's badge. "Take a look at this DNA scan I pulled up on anyone named August Animo."

"There's no such person in our database?"

"Yes. Because August is her middle name. Her full name is Amethyst August Animo-Zeno. It's her given name. She wasn't normal. Her original ability is to control the minds of any creature with a brain. This includes humans, insects, trees, even electronic super computers. Animo didn't want that. He wanted someone like him. Too bad he--"

"Created me." August rubbed her face clean of tears. "I can only imitate powers now."

"Yes, but you're ability to--" The Plumber stopped and looked at August's eyes. "Weren't your eyes just gold a second ago?"

"Oh, um, yes." August swallowed. "Is that strange?"

"Yes, that is. Most aliens can't change their eye colors so easily."

August gasped, covering her mouth. "You mean I'm...."

"You're probably from the extinct culture. Minders. They're only relevant in the Null Void. They're guardians of the exits and entrances. You're not an alien from natural space."

* * *

**A/N:** i just confused myself, sorry. anyways! i'm slowly updating this because it's not as popular as i thought it would be. anyways, thanks for reading, but i'm going to wrap it up next chapter and that's it....


	4. Chapter 4: Return?

"A Minder can control people's thoughts, alien's thoughts to make them never see a way out. It's how we've kept the Null Void so clean and free of any escapees. However, we've been short one Minder who needs to live on Earth, to stop the cracks on this end. How, ever, did you manage to get away with it all these years?"

August suddenly put a hand on her forehead. "I can tell you that I don't care anymore. I've had it with Plumbers. All you guys do is trample on people who don't have badges and take them away if you don't want them around. I've seen you do it to these two before." She gestured at Kevin and Gwen. "You took away their rights as Plumbers just because they were a threat to someone's rank in the Plumbers."

Pierce, who'd been watching from his fence, slowly stood up. "You mean you've known about your power, but never used it?"

"Never used it, never knew about it." August sighed and pointed right between the Plumber's eyes. "You don't care, do you? All you Plumbers want is to 'contain' aliens who are 'violent', never mind that they're nothing like their parents. There's time to talk to 'normal' aliens, but 'malevolent' or children of such are sent to the Null Void, without a second glance. I'm glad I'm not a Plumber." She took a step back. "Apparently, my reputation got me into this mess. Charmcaster's knowledge of my violent father made it easy for her to blame the death of several inhabitants of the Void on me."

She put her hands together, curling her pinkies and thumbs. A crack appeared and a body tumbled out. It was wrapped nicely in linen, but the size was clearly a child. She picked up the body and put it back through the crack.

"I'm not a murder. You can keep looking, but you'll never find someone as honest as me." She bowed to the Plumber again. "I won't bother. You'll take her side, everyone sides against me, so, I'll just make it easy."

Pierce's thoughts penetrated the air and Gwen looked over at him.

'_What?! But then.... how the heck does that explain why I attacked her?_'

Gwen smiled to herself. '_A mystery. We'll never know it all.... ah, well, we've got someone fighting in the Null Void to keep us safe. We'll see her again, I know it._'


End file.
